Last Loose End
by Rattler3
Summary: It's done.  The human reaper is finished, her team has won, and there's only one thing left to finish before escaping.  FShep, Renegade.  Now a two-shot to explain the situation better.
1. Chapter 1

Female Renegade Shepard. Beware the rating is for a reason, character death is possible. Just to be clear, not exactly following cannon.

* * *

Joanna Shepard awoke with a groan, struggling up to a sitting position. She reached out and grabbed her assault rifle which had luckily somehow landed beside her, and scanned the area for any threats. Luckily it was clear.

After all, they'd already wiped out what seemed like half the collector base. And the human reaper… it was gone. She looked around, seeing Jack lying nearby.

"You damn well better be alive, Jack. I didn't slide down that platform to save your ass just to have you die," she groaned out. She pulled herself to her feet, slowly moving over to the unmoving Jack. No one had died from her team as of yet, and she didn't want Jack to be the first.

But before she got there, Joanna snapped around quickly at a groan from her other companion. Miranda was trapped under a piece of wreckage. Joanna quickly moved over to her; it was time to finish one of the last strings.

Miranda groggily mumbled thanks as Joanna pulled the wreckage off of her. She looked up into the well scarred face of Shepard, her scars having gotten remarkably worse since she awoke. But she had done the impossible, she had stopped the collectors. And they were still alive. Miranda's work had paid off.

"Still among the living," Joanna said neutrally as she carefully lifted Miranda from the front, one arm supporting her, the other somewhere else.

"Barely," Miranda replied softly. Everything hurt, and that was just from before the battle with the reaper. It was worse now.

"Well it's time for this to end." Miranda frowned; she thought it already was finished.

She felt something poke her in the abdomen, and then a moment later heard 2 gunshots. A strange warm feeling started to come from her stomach, and then pain flared up.

She glanced down. Shepard had her pistol there, inside where her kinetic barriers formed their field. The barrel was smoking, and 2 holes were in her thin armour, blood starting to leak out of them.

"What..." she asked, confused. She was already feeling weak limbed, and started to collapse. Shepard gently guided her down, capturing her in her arms softly, lying at an angle on a piece of wreckage. Shepard just sort of supported Miranda's lolling head and body on her own.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "Don't fight it, it's over."

Miranda was confused. What was happening? All the pain was gone now, just a comfortable numbness setting in. "Why?" was all she asked; she didn't know what else to ask.

"It's complicated," Joanna answered, genuine confusion in her voice, like she didn't understand it herself. "But just know that this is a good death. You will be known as a hero who went in and fought the good fight. You will be remembered as a good person. Not as a Cerberus lackey." Joanna's voice was filled with legitimate regret, and Miranda understood.

"Jacob?" she asked, her strength fading rapidly. But she still turned her head to look at Shepard, seeing she had tears in her eyes.

"I won't hurt him Miranda." Shepard smiled at her. "None of this is his fault. I know you knew about the atrocities Cerberus was committing, but he was just a soldier. A grunt. He didn't bring me back, he didn't condone their actions. His only crime was loving you, who wouldn't admit her love for him back."

Miranda shivered involuntarily and closed her eyes. It was too late for regrets. She felt Shepard wrap her arms tighter around her. "Ok," was all Miranda said. She was drifting away fast now. Her vision was going dark. But she was at peace. She believed that Shepard wouldn't cast her name out. Shepard always followed through.

A smile tugged at her face, as the darkness claimed her.

Joanna felt the life leave Miranda, and let go of her, standing up. She wiped away the tears from her eyes; there could be no regrets. Miranda had died stopping the collectors, fighting the Reapers. That was how she would be remembered, not as the monster responsible for Akuze. Not as the woman who had brought her back, ruining the only happiness and peace she had ever known; but as a hero.

She went back to Jack, checking her pulse. She was alive, thank god, just unconscious. Joanna was ready to carry her body to get out if needed be. No one else on her team would die. It was almost finished.

The last loose string for Cerberus was the Illusive Man. And then she would deal with the Reapers.

* * *

Thanks for reading. Hopefully the next one isn't so sad :(


	2. Chapter 2

So after people pointed out how thing's weren't clear from what I wrote, I went back and re-read the story, and saw where the (many) issues were. That's what I get for pumping it out in 40 minutes and only spending 20 minutes editing it right then and there. So this hopefully explains it all. Since I also wrote this fast and edited it fast as well, I'm hoping this doesn't just lead to more confusion. Thanks to those who reviewed and pointed out the confusing issues!

* * *

Shepard settled onto her couch in her room, pulling her feet up under her. She absently felt along her face, the prominent scar on her cheek having seemed to grow even larger the past week. She hated looking in the mirror now, but it was just a reality for her now. Just like war always was with her; peace had been taken away.

She sighed. It had been a long day. Helping Garrus kill Sidonis and then returning to the Normandy to debrief. Plus she had to talk with her family, her crew. She was exhausted. At least they had about two and a half days before they'd be at the old Reaper to grab the IFF. She'd get some rest.

And most importantly, at last she could read her messages. And not just any messages. Back on Illium she had asked Liara to do some digging about Cerberus, specifically about Akuze, as well as some information on the entire crew, which she provided the dossier of to Liara. She had never had access to someone with so much information at their fingertips before, and she wanted to leverage it. But she didn't want anyone to know about her quest for information. So when she'd had a moment alone with Liara, she had given her an alternate account to send it to, but never accessed the account on the ship so EDI couldn't look at it – but she hadn't looked at it yet either.

But today she had gone to a terminal on the Citadel and downloaded everything to a datapad. So whatever she found, no one would know she knew it.

However, things had changed. Joanna was surprised to find that she felt guilty checking up on her Cerberus crew. Especially Jacob. Jacob had been nothing but respectful to her, and a good soldier, reliable and trustworthy.

And Miranda… well they certainly hadn't started off on the right foot, but that had changed. Joanna now respected her as probably the best team member she had. It's not that she was the best soldier, or the best biotic or anything – not that she was bad, either. She just had a battlefield sense that was very good, almost as good as her own. Garrus had told her Miranda was the only one he'd seen who could even compare to Shepards own abilities. What impressed Shepard more however, was her tactical thinking. She was very good at giving Shepard short reports and recommendations based on her perspective, and it was always invaluable information, which often lead to much easier battles. She was now always a core part of her team.

Not that she trusted the woman outside of battle, not as a member of Cerberus. How could she? But she respected her, even more so after she saw the human side of her with regards to her sister. She didn't seem so bad. And she knew that she genuinely had feeling for Jacob, just as Jacob genuinely had feelings for her. It was sad that Miranda denied herself that out of some misguided attempt at professionalism; they would be good together. Still, Joanna could be happy to say that underneath it all Miranda had real emotions. Maybe she genuinely believed that Cerberus wasn't a part of those atrocities. Or maybe she had no idea.

She hoped it was one of those; because like everyone else on this crew, Shepard loved Miranda. Joanna was called reckless, a renegade even, by so many people. And hell, she could agree. But she loved her crew, her team. There was no stronger loyalty within her, than for her team.

But she couldn't be sure that Miranda wasn't what Cerberus was, which is what this came down to. Cerberus was just too dangerous. They had brought her back for god's sake. She would never forgive them for that. She was tired and didn't want to fight anymore. She had been fine with her end; such was the way of life. It had been peaceful.

But she was back now, so she had to carry on. Someday Cerberus would pay, and the bastards responsible for Akuze, among the other things she'd seen, would regret bringing her back.

At last she opened the datapad, and started reading.

Liara had laid out a nice summary for her. It wasn't long.

_Shepard,I send this only after having triple checked everything, and using multiple reliable sources. I've even obtained much of Cerberus' private memos, don't ask how._

_First of all, you can trust your crew. They are genuine people, most of whom joined Cerberus only recently, and who as far as I can tell don't believe in the radical actions that Cerberus is known for. They just want to protect their family. As for your team member Jacob, he is what he appears. He's just a soldier, who isn't mentioned in any messages or appears to have any knowledge of their activities. You can trust him._

_However, there is one name which stands out. One name which I found repeatedly in memos, issuing orders and making suggestions. Most importantly, this person was a key part of the Akuze event._

Shepard stopped reading, setting the datapad down momentarily. She knew where this was leading. It was even worse as she felt the bottom fall out of her stomach. She already knew what this would mean. She almost wished she could forget reading this letter. But it was too late, and even then, she still would have read this message. Her team deserved vengeance… so did she. She picked up the datapad again.

_That name is Miranda Lawson. She was the one who ordered the test of the Thresher Maw. It's not clear if she ordered it carried out on Alliance Marines, but what is clear is she wanted a field test on an armed team. We both know she isn't stupid, and that getting Alliance Marines to respond to a distress signal would be the easiest and cheapest way of getting it done. She then approved funding for the project even after the massacre, and played a large part in covering it up._

_Furthermore, she is linked to a number of other atrocious projects; from anywhere to providing small suggestions to outright ordering changes which… well they weren't good. We shut down a number of those projects in our chase of Saren._

_I've attached all the files I used to put it together. I know Lawson was with you on planet, and it appeared you trusted her. But you cannot trust her, she is a snake. _

_Take care of yourself Shepard._

_Liara_

Shepard blinked her eyes, noting that tears had started to form. Damn it. She didn't think it would hurt so much, to be betrayed by one of her team. Miranda had lied to her face, denying everything. How could Joanna be surprised however? Miranda would have known admitting it would have been signing her own death warrant. Still, she had been betrayed, even if the betrayal had been long ago.

What was she going to do about it? She would of course check everything Liara had said. It's not that she doubted Liara, it's just… maybe she didn't notice something, or maybe she read more into something than she should have. She had to know for a fact, there could be no question.

But what about long term? What if Liara was right? There was no question in her mind that Miranda Lawson would have to die. But how and when? She still needed Cerberus' support to stop the Collector threat, she knew that. Vengeance for her team was inevitable, but they… she… could wait until the Collectors were eliminated. Because like it or not, she needed Miranda for this. She was simply too great an asset to give up and risk the galaxy over, just for her need for revenge.

The suicide mission. While she had no intention of it BEING a suicide mission for her or her team, a few losses would be acceptable. Miranda would undoubtedly have been a core part of her team. Maybe she took her deep into the facility. Maybe, at the end of it, she didn't make it. Maybe the collectors get her, or maybe Shepard herself kills her. She would prefer the second, but wouldn't mind the first.

Miranda could be remembered as a hero then. She wouldn't be the terrorist who caused a squad of good marines to be murdered… the terrorist leader who organized monstrous projects. She would have been a woman who stood up for the galaxy, fought for its right to be, for everyone to live their life as they chose.

A thought occurred to Shepard. Her sister, Oriana. With Miranda dead, Cerberus would either give her up to her father, or recruit her into their world. That couldn't happen, not to an innocent who held no blame for any of this. She'd have to get the Alliance to pick her up, get her into some sort of protection.

As much as she thought that Miranda deserved to burn in hell for all the sins she appeared to have committed, the fact was that she couldn't do it to Miranda, or to herself. Not to someone she loved. Not to someone who appeared to have changed. Saving the galaxy didn't wipe the slate clean for her, but it just might make it bearable for Joanna for everyone else to remember Miranda as a hero. Only Joanna and her team of marines would know the truth. And that was all that matters.

She would have to give no hint of this. No one could know. She could compartmentalize it, and she would. But first, she'd make sure Liara was right. She'd check over every detail. And then Miranda Lawson's fate would be set in stone, a loose end to be snipped off.


End file.
